AAU Coaches Lead European Team

By Maryland AAU Baseball, 02/02/16, 8:15AM CST

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AAU Baseball Coaches Lead Summer Collegiate Team in Europe

DUNKIRK, Md. – Two AAU Baseball coaches, Mike Graham and Chris Cummings, of Ruth’s Baseball Ideals (RBI) Baseball Club (Annapolis, Md.), will serve as the coaches for the Sant Boi Falcons team in the Collegiate Baseball League Europe (CBLE), the organization announced Jan. 20 when it named the coaching staff for its collegiate squads that will compete internationally throughout Europe this summer.

Sant Boi de Llobregat is a town of 83,000 people in the Barcelona province in Spain. In the United States, Cummings and Graham—veteran Maryland youth baseball coaches of over 20 years—lead the Maryland RBI Baseball advanced skills development team, which they established in 2009.

“I got to know and greatly respect Mike Graham when his team, Maryland RBI, represented Maryland and the Potomac Valley at the AAU Baseball National Underclassmen Super Showcase at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida,” said AAU Baseball National Senior Sports Manager, Debra Horn.

“Mike is best known for his managerial ability but is equally highly regarded for his overall development of student-athletes. He is exactly the type of leader AAU Baseball seeks, and I am very pleased to see this development.”

Graham and Cummings are entering their 7th year at Maryland RBI, which they manage and coach along with former pro Jim Hoyer, former college player Jerry Gamblin, and assistant manager Ray Albaugh. Together they have achieved a sustained level of success with Maryland RBI with a record of 219-125 (.637) since 2010, including 34-12 (.739) in 2015.

The quintet for the first time ever was named Maryland AAU Baseball Coaching Staff of the Year this past year. In addition, Cummings was named Maryland AAU Baseball Coach of the Year.

In all, they have led Maryland RBI to 28 tournament appearances, including three Maryland AAU State Championships, eight wood bat league tournament championships, and six second-place and four final four tournament finishes. Maryland RBI have advanced to the AAU Super Showcase/Nationals (2013) and played in three Mid-Atlantic regional championship games in the last six years.

Five of their former Maryland RBI players are currently active on college baseball rosters, and they have seen a dozen current or former players under their leadership sign or commit. Many of their players have been selected to participate in various national, international and collegiate competitions, and received MLB tryout invitations.

About CBLE

The Sant Boi Falcons are a member of the CBLE, which was founded by Jan Maarten Kops in 2012 in Oosterhout the Netherlands. The 2015 season featured five teams representing cities in Spain (Barcelona), France (La Rochelle), the Netherlands (Amsterdam and Oosterhout), Austria (Vienna) and Czech Republic (Prague). Rosters include players from all over the world ages 18-23. As the only collegiate summer league in "the Old World," CBLE offers collegiate players a high-level baseball experience and cultural exposure to Europe at the same time. CBLE is affiliated with the Northwoods League, one of America’s premier summer collegiate baseball leagues comprising teams of top college players from the Midwestern United States and Southern Canada.

About AAU

The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) of the United States, Inc., is the largest, non-profit, volunteer sports organization in the nation. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. The AAU was founded in 1888 to establish standards and uniformity in amateur sports. During its early years, the AAU served as a leader in international sport representing the U.S. in the international sports federations. The AAU worked closely with the Olympic movement to prepare athletes for the Olympic Games. After the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the AAU has focused its efforts into providing sports programs for all participants of all ages beginning at the grass roots level. The philosophy of "Sports for All, Forever," is shared by over 670,000 participants and over 100,000 volunteers. Find out more about the AAU by visitingwww.aausports.org.